


no quiero jugar mi suerte por ti

by doubtthestars



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-30
Updated: 2015-01-30
Packaged: 2018-03-09 16:22:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3256505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doubtthestars/pseuds/doubtthestars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He decides whatever happens, their story will not end up like his. Liverpool is where they play but Liverpool isn't home to either of them and that's already difference enough.</p><p>Madrid will take them back into her arms and Spain will crown them kings.</p><p>That is more than a love story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	no quiero jugar mi suerte por ti

**Author's Note:**

  * For [viriditas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/viriditas/gifts).



> I tried.
> 
> Title comes from Shakira's Te Dejo Madrid.

He knows about the weird joke that Alberto is his love child with Xabi because he's the most scouse-looking Spanish lad to ever grace Anfield and after he laughs about it to himself, he starts wondering. 

Alberto is young but Javier is younger and he doesn't see anything in either of them that yells Xabi but he guesses that is the point. They are still young enough to grow into themselves.

Stevie is no stranger to mentoring. As the captain of the club he is ever-watchful of the younger teammates, the new faces that change with the seasons. He feels old against Raheem and Jordan but he is faithful and he knows the game well enough. His legacy at Liverpool may not be laden with silverware but he's confident enough that he leaves a spark of Liverpool in the kids that pass by.

He's Steven Gerrard after all.

Alberto is passing to Mario in the early morning fog and they're chatting in a mixture of Italian, Spanish and gestured English. He breathes in the sharp morning air and goes into the locker room. Javier is there on the phone, quietly speaking even though there is no one else around and he remembers that the kid is alone in a foreign country with only the Spanish contingent to really understand him. 

His eyes widen when he catches Stevie putting his bag away and hurries through a goodbye. Stevie catches 'captain' and 'bye' and shakes his head because he's been surrounded by Spanish teammates for most of his life and still can't parse the language. But the game wouldn't be the same if there weren't at least one rowdy Spaniard blathering on.

"You didn't have to hang up so quickly on account of me." Javier blinks and smiles awkwardly. Stevie responds in kind because it was like the lad had a language barrier with his mouth in general. 

There are very few times Stevie sees Javier genuinely smile and those are mostly found with Alberto and Jose Enrique.

"I want to practice." The words are slow but Stevie is proud of how far he has come. The translator is still around but Javier tries his hardest to not shy away from simple answers and greetings.

"Your family?" He gestures at the phone and Javier shakes his head.

" _Agente_." Stevie is quiet then because he won't be able to see him off when his loan ends. Madrid had made him suffer for much less.

***

His last season is strange because Jordan wears the captain band as much as he does and his knees creak a bit from the bench. He takes the time to watch the team without him and finds the threads that connect them all. 

He thinks of Xabi benched in the last Bayern game he saw and chuckles because they are old men at thirty-four. 

It is Javi's 21rst birthday in May and the team celebrates at full throttle. There are presents scattered and drinks piled. He is nursing water because who else was going to be responsible at this late hour. The minutes are ticking by as his move to Los Angeles is less far away so cherishes the party without aid of alcohol.

Alberto is sticking close to Javi and Stevie squints through the dark of the club to see the shorter man whisper into the birthday boy's ear. They retreat into the dark and Stevie is entirely too sober to deal with another story like that. 

Liverpool has seen more hearts broken than not. And Steven is the poster boy.

Javi gets knocked about in the game against QPR and Alberto is there in a second, shouting, rebuffing the ref. Jordan is there and Emre pushes Alberto back with a few words. He helps Javi back on his feet and Alberto is a stone for the rest of the game. In the tunnel, Stevie looks away when Javi hugs Alberto.

The older boy is getting better with his marking and passes. His English is also improving much faster than Stevie expects and he suddenly sees the ghost of Xabi Alonso, so much so, he is temped to call the ghost himself just to hear his voice.

He doesn't.

Javi's eyes are bright and he is talented and Stevie is stumped because if Alberto is Xabi, then he knows who Javier is. 

He calls Carra.

"Do you think if I had been loaned out, it would've ended differently?" The FA Cup final was approaching and he wasn't bitter, just disappointed. Jamie is silent before huffing like he asked a stupid question.

"Maybe, but we can't dally in the past. You'd still be bleeding Liverpool." He holds his tongue and hopes Javier will learn the importance of a change in scenery. He hopes the boy never has to be captain.

Alberto, though, Alberto has the shoulders for it.

***

He decides whatever happens, their story will not end up like his. Liverpool is where they play but Liverpool isn't home to either of them and that's already difference enough.

Madrid will take them back into her arms and Spain will crown them kings.

That is more than a love story.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry this is not as happy as I wanted it to be.


End file.
